When I used to be a police officer, I carried a gun almost 24/7. I’m not anti-gun, but these days, I realize I had a strange sense of identity during the years I carried and owned multiple guns. This is really a complex topic that deserves more than an over-simplified answer.
On the one hand, in many areas of the U.S., having a gun (assuming you also have adequate skill and training) can actually come in handy. Although relatively unlikely, physical attacks and home invasions (or more likely, home burglaries when the suspect didn’t know you were home, resulting in an unplanned confrontation), do happen in this country. So if pure survival from the unlikely (but still possible) physical attack is your over-riding concern in daily life, then yes, carrying and having guns is an effective way to ensure that priority.
But then again, in order for you to be prepared for such an attack, you literally must have a gun on you at all times, wherever you happen to be. This can become a real pain in the ass. It can even cause long term, cumulative lower back injuries. If you don’t believe me, try strapping a 5 pound (or heavier, depending on the gun and support equipment) weight to your waist and notice how your back feels after a few days. Now try it for 16 years, while going about your daily routine, all day every day. So basically, you may very well cause injury to yourself (over a period of time), in order to be prepared for a possible, but statistically unlikely scenario.
You also have to accept the fact that after the shooting, you will most certainly be sued and possibly charged with a crime (yes, even if the shooting was legal. Certain political dynamics can twist this around). When the lawsuit and/or criminal case occur down the road, you can kiss whatever savings you had goodbye, not to mention shortening your life span due to the stress over several years.
If things really are so bad in America that everyone needs to carry a gun in order to be adequately safe and prepared, then it does beg the question, why continue living here (assuming you have the option of living abroad)? And do we all really want to be living among people who are all packing heat? If the argument for arming ourselves is to protect ourselves from “all the crazies out there,” are we not making ourselves a little crazy in the process? I see a parallel to nuclear armament among countries..stockpiling nuclear weapons to defend against other countries with nuclear weapons. But if they are actually used, everyone loses. There are no real winners.
On the other hand, if things aren’t that bad, then why do we feel the need to carry a gun 24/7, after the negatives I mentioned above? It’s complicated.
American culture has a lot to do with it, along with the history of this country. Americans just love their guns. It’s how many of them derive their sense of identity. And don’t get me started on movies, television, and video games. Hint, they are essentially free advertising for gun companies, and we just eat it all up like the brainless sheep we are.
I did sell all my guns awhile back, for various reasons (That would be a whole different topic. Living a materially minimalist and nomadic lifestyle was a factor. Guns require a good amount of care, maintenance, responsibility, support equipment, ammo, etc that I was pretty much over a couple years ago). But getting back to the question itself, there are many ways to defend yourself without guns, although admittedly guns (and adequate skill) are very effective tools for their purpose. Having said that, you are far from defenseless just because you don’t have a gun (I won’t elaborate here, but hint, lots of other everyday tools out there).
I personally see both sides, people who abhor guns, and people who are enamored with them. For me, the main thing is to see both sides objectively, and to see the positives and negatives of each. Both sides have plenty of both. There’s nothing wrong with simply accepting the fact that violence does happen, and if it does happen to you, and you are not armed (and skilled), you are at a disadvantage (although not completely defenseless). I think that’s perfectly fine, as long as you see and accept the possibility. On the other hand, there’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to be better prepared for that unlikely but possible scenario, as long as you are not fooling yourself regarding all the negatives I mentioned above. For me, it finally boiled down to, how do I want to live my life on a daily basis, and even where. If I can live somewhere that I don’t have to worry about the next shooting (mass or otherwise), then that’s something to consider. This may not be an option for a lot of people, or even a desire. For the latter, I’d say, there is a lot of really cool world out there that isn’t America. Not to say that this country doesn’t have a lot to offer, it certainly does, but it doesn’t own the patent on good living.
I’m sure there are more things I’d like to mention which I’m forgetting right now. This kind of topic deserves a long, reasoned conversation. Hard to summarize in a single answer.